RoadVitals

2015 Buick Regal Exterior lighting Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Exterior lighting reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Oct 25, 2022
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
24%
of 33 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2015 Buick Regal submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming exterior lighting

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Exterior lighting
Filed Oct 25, 2022

I purchased my 2015 buick in May of 2015. At about December of 2017 the drivers HID head light was breached and moisture crept in creating an inner fog and eventually a puddle of water. In the falloff 2018 the same thing happened on the passengers side. I've removed both head assemblies and tried to fix the problem with very little success. Now I am looking at replacing both lamp assemblies at a cost of $2200 not counting labor.

NHTSA ID
11490719
Incident
Oct 24, 2022
Exterior lighting
Filed Jul 29, 2022

Drivers side headlight has condensation in it & stopped working. Vehicle hasn’t been involved in any accidents or incidents that would have caused this. Dealer advised of the problem while performing oil change.

NHTSA ID
11476526
Incident
Jun 1, 2022
Exterior lighting
Filed Jul 10, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 BUICK REGAL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS FILLED WITH MOISTURE. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT MOISTURE IN THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING MAY CAUSE THE HEADLIGHT TO BECOME INOPERABLE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND POSSIBLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS CONFIRMED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. KARP BUICK (400 SUNRISE HWY, ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY 11570, 515-665-1739) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO REPAIR ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,500.

NHTSA ID
11338637
Incident
Jun 19, 2020
Mileage
34,500 mi
Exterior lightingOther / unspecified
Filed Mar 5, 2020

DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT IS RETAINING WATER/LIQUID. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2015, I WAS TOLD THAT MY TIRES WERE NEW; THEN 2 YEARS AGO, I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE TWO OF THEM. NOW ONE OF THE TWO ORIGINAL PIRELLI TIRES HAS PITS AND CLEARS CHUNKS MISSING FROM THE TIRE BASE, AS WELL AS MANY CRACKS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TIRE! LASTLY, THE CAR HAS A HABIT OF LOCKING THE DOORS ON ITS OWN AND KEEPING THEM LOCKED, THEREBY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IN. THE MOST RECENT TIME, I CALLED ONSTAR...AND DIDN'T EVEN SPEAK TO ANYONE, BUT THEY MIRACULOUSLY OPENED AND THE REMOTE WORKED FINE...AGAIN! VEHICLE HAS UNDER 49000 MILES ON IT! VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED BY ARNOLD CHEVY / BUICK AND NO ONE ELSE! OH, AND JUST A COMPLAINT FROM WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE: I WAS NEVER TOLD THE CAR NEEDED PREMIUM GAS FOR BEST TURBO PERFORMANCE; I WAS TOLD THAT AFTER OWNING THE VEHICLE 3 YEARS, AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND I COMPLAINED OF THE ENGINE LAGGING.

NHTSA ID
11316371
Incident
Mar 5, 2020
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 3, 2020

THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HOLDS WATER AND MOISTURE AND LIGHT CAN NOT COME OUT VERY WELL IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON IT

NHTSA ID
11306869
Incident
Feb 2, 2020
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 27, 2019

WE HAD THE DRIVER'S HEADLIGHT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO IT HOLDING WATER. ONCE WE GOT THE CAR BACK AND DROVE IT AT NIGHT, IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE LIGHT PATTERN WAS NOT THE SAME. SEE PHOTO. WE WERE NOT ABLE TO SEE THE ROAD ON THE LEFT SIDE SINCE THE BEAM WAS ESSENTIALLY POINTED DOWN SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK AND THEY SAID THAT THE HEADLIGHT WAS A NEW DESIGN AND THAT'S HOW IT LOOKS BUT THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE ADJUSTED IT AGAIN. THAT WEEK WE DROVE TO ORLANDO AT NIGHT AND ALMOST EVERY CAR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WOULD EITHER FLASH THEIR LIGHTS AT US OR HONK THEIR HORN. I DID A STATIC TEST AND THE LEDT LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATING OVERHEAD ROAD SIGNS AT A DISTANCE OF 50FT SO WE WERE BLINDING ONCOMING DRIVERS. I CONTACTED BUICK CORPORATE AND THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER A 4TH TIME, ONCE AGAIN I WAS TOLD THIS IS THE NEW DESIGN BUT WE WILL ADJUST IT. AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, MY LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHTS ARE THROWING 2 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LIGHT PATTERNS, I STILL CAN'T SEE THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE HIGH BEAMS ON THE LEFT SIDE DON'T SEEM TO ILLUMINATE ANYTHING AT ALL. I'M A LICENSED ENGINEER AND ACCIDENT RE-CONSTRUCTIONIST THAT HAS SUBJECTED OTHER VEHICLES TO DOT AND SAE HEADLIGHT TESTS AND THESE LIGHTS WILL NOT PASS. IT ALSO CAUSES UNDUE STRESS ON THE THE DRIVER SINCE THE LIGHTING PATTERN IS NO LONGER CONSISTENT ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE CAR. I WOULD LIKE SOME HELP IN GETTING GM TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE AND CORRECT IT SINCE THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT ONCE MY WARRANTY EXPIRES IN MAY, THEY ARE NO LONGER RESPONSIBLE

NHTSA ID
11182703
Incident
Jun 14, 2018
Mileage
23,000 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Feb 12, 2019

THIS VEHICLE HAS HID HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES THAT HAVE CONSTANT ISSUES WITH CONDENSATION/WATER ENTERING THE HOUSING AND CAUSING THE BALLAST AND BULB TO FAIL. THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY SEAL BETWEEN THE OUTER AND INNER SHELL ASSEMBLY. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, AS THE VEHICLE MAY LOOSE ALL HEADLIGHTS AND CAUSE THE DRIVER TO CRASH. THE ASSEMBLIES ARE VERY COSTLY TO REPLACE AND THE ISSUE IS VERY VERY COMMON ON ALL 2011 THOUGH 2017 REGAL AND GS MODELS WITH HID. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER. NEW ASSEMBLIES WILL RESULT IN THE SAME SAFETY ISSUE IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. THIS COULD BE A DESIGN FLAW OR A MANUFACTURING FLAW... REGARDLESS, IT IS VERY DANGEROUS!

NHTSA ID
11176529
Incident
Feb 10, 2019
Mileage
38,000 mi
Body & structureExterior lightingVisibility
Filed May 20, 2016

BACK-UP LIGHTS - VISIBILITY LIGHTED BY BACK-UP LIGHTS IS TERRIBLE. THE BACK-UP LIGHTS ARE VERY DIM AND DIRECTED UPWARDS INSTEAD OF BACK ONTO THE PAVEMENT AS THEY SHOULD BE. THE STOP LIGHTS ACTUALLY GIVE MORE LIGHT THAN THE BACK-UP LIGHTS. THE FIRST MONTH I HAD THE VEHICLE I HAD SEVERAL NEAR MISSES BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE THE VEHICLES IN BACK OF ME. I CAN ACTUALLY SEE BETTER SHINING A FLASHLIGHT BEHIND ME THAN I CAN TO SEE WITH THE BACK-UP LIGHTS. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP REQUESTING BRIGHTER BULBS TO BE INSTALLED INSSTEAD OF THE ONES THAT ARE IN THERE, AND THE DEALER SHOP MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT DO IT BECAUSE THE SPACE INSIDE THE BACK-UP LIGHTS WOULD NOT ALLOW ENOUGH VENTILATION. AFTER INSPECTION, SHE AGREED THAT THEY WERE DIM BUT THAT IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS A "DESIGN FLAW". THE HOLE IN THE BODY MADE FOR THE BACK-UP LIGHTS IS TOO SMALL. GENERAL MOTORS NEED TO CORRECT THIS BEFORE SOMEBODY EITHER GETS RUN OVER OR RAN INTO AND SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED. IF THEY CANNOT CORRECT THE DEFECT THEN THEY NEED TO BE FORCED TO INSTALL SENSORS TO DETECT SOMETHING OR SOMEONE BEHIND YOU. I COMPLAINED TO GENERAL MOTORS CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY THEY SAID THAT THEY SPOKE TO THE DEALERSHIP IN DECATUR, IL WHERE I TOOK IT, AND THAT THEY SAID THE LIGHTS WERE OPERATING AS DESIGNED. REALLY? THEY WERE DESIGNED TO BE TOO DIM? THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY ALSO SAID IF I ADDED AN ADDITIONAL BACK-UP LIGHT THAT IT WOULD VOID THE WARRANTY. THIS IS A CATCH-22 SITUATION THAT IS DESTINED FOR A BAD COLLISION OR WORSE AND SOMEBODY IS INJURED OR KILLED. SEVERAL TIMES I ALMOST RAN INTO ANOTHER CAR BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH LIGHT TO SEE THEM. THE BRAKE LIGHTS ACTUALLY GAVE MORE LIGHT THEN THE BACK-UP LIGHTS. EACH SEVERAL TIMES I WAS BACKING UP IN A PARKING AREA AND THERE WAS A CAR RIGHT BEHIND ME. LUCKILY MY WIFE LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW TO HELP ME.

NHTSA ID
10870084
Incident
Feb 1, 2016
Mileage
25,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .